Manticore
The Manticore is an''' Advanced Super-Heavy Tank''' is the most feared and powerful ground vehicle in the ECA Arsenal. It requires activation in the R&D Compound after the appropriate General's Promotion is obtained, being one of the ECA's Emergency Protocols. Lore The 100 ton experimental Manticore tank is the most technologically advanced tank in the world. It sports dual 155mm cannons to fend off lesser tanks, a dual 30mm auto-cannon turret to dispatch any infantry and aircraft that venture into its sights and a set of rocket launchers to seal the deal. Deployed relatively early in the war, these rare tanks are usually seen leading entire ECA armor divisions into the fray against their Russian counterparts. The Manticore is infamous for being the only tank that is able to beat the Sentinel in a one-on-one duel. This is not due to standard merits such as the plating of its armor or the parameters of its guns but rather because of nanite technology that can repair any damage done to the tank almost instantly. Several small, orb-shaped bots actively hover around the Manticore and dispense a regenerative, self-hardening nano-foam that quickly solidifies inside any holes in the hull, thus filling out missing chunks of the tank's structure. There are even reported cases of the tank being fully repaired before its enemies could fire their second volley. The orbs do not only repair their parent vehicle but also any friendly vehicles within range. This makes the Manticore fearsome not only by itself but also in a tandem with friendly units. Once a General has chosen to deploy the Manticore, two new, mutually exclusive upgrades will become available to his other tanks: Nano Shock Absorbers, devices that look like hexagonal panels andincrease the armor of ECA vehicles, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells, new 'safe and green' engines that enhance the vehicle's speed. ECA Generals are only authorized to field one Manticore at a time, so utmost care with this beast is necessary. The Manticore is a new ray of hope to the European Continental Army that had seen so many defeats during the Russian onslaught. Field Report Hauptmann Robert Meyer-Feldkamp Schwere Panzerabteilung 'Siegfried' "It was a red dawn in the November of 2045 when our Manticore tank first arrived at our camp near Swiebodzin, a mere 70 kilometres away from the fatherland. Me and my crew, Berger, Goldmann and Rossi, were watching as the cargo train came to a halt. On it was the largest tank we had ever seen. It seemed even more massive than Ivan's Sentinel. The Manticore was so heavy that the chassis and the turret were actually transported on two seperate freight cars and assembled on-site by a crane. I still remember Berger being very jealous. He used to be our loader back when we were still riding a Leopard but the Manticore's shells were too massive for a man to handle and the entire vehicle was computer-assisted: Navigation, secondary weapons, countermeasures, the auto-loader. Berger really wanted to be on that tank with us but we had to part ways that day. I don't know what happened to him after the Russians took the fight to us. But yeah, I got into the cupola first and booted up the computer or 'EVA' as it called itself; Electronic Voice Assistant. We quickly agreed that we didn't like the voice. It sounded all bitchy and patronising in some passive-aggressive kinda way, so we just called her 'the Ex'. Then Goldmann and Rossi climbed in, commenting on those nifty leather seats and taking in that new tank smell. The folks at KMW really did their homework on this beauty. They even got a few car engineers on the team to design the interior; with a tank like this, it wasn't just about utilitarianism, it was about convenience. You could literally live inside that thing." "Anyway, we then rolled out to our first assignment: A Russian convoy was making a supply tour through some of the towns and we had to put a stop to that. The Ex suggested an ambush position between a bunch of trees. I didn't see anything suicidally wrong with it, so I ordered Rossi to get us in there. The optics of the Manticore were excellent: I could sit there for hours watching the Russkies go about their business in the nearby village, eating, chatting, doing their thing with no idea that we were waiting right around the corner. Then the convoy was done dropping its supplies and moved on to the next town, its front and rear guarded by a single T-80 respectively. This was our chance. I told Goldmann to engage the tanks first, so that their wreckages would block the other vehicles from escaping. He punched in the targets, then hit the big red button. All we felt was a muffled thud and a gentle shake while the Kodiak in front of the convoy got blown in half. Number two followed within a few seconds. After that, we went to town on those Russians: Trucks, BMPs, men - The Manticore ripped them all to shreds. All I ever got was a bunch of target recommendations popping up on my display and the Ex asking for a confirmation. One button-press later, they all went up in a hail of gunfire and rockets. It was glorious." "Suddenly, a group of Golem tanks approached us from the flank. We tankers used to hate these things even more than we hated the Sentinels. They were faster, obscenely well armoured and infamous for their flanking attacks. They opened up on us and their shells smashed right into our unprotected side. I still remember Rossi going nuts while he turned our front armour towards them...And then I realised: Rossi -was- turning our front armour towards them; we were -still- alive! We'd just taken three 130mm shells to the guts and the Manticore just shrugged them off like it was nothing! The Ex just blabbered some technobabble crap about how she was 'engaging the nano dispensers' while Goldmann brought all weapons to bear. I like to imagine that these guys were pissing their hazmat-suits in that moment. He took out two of them in a few moments before the third one called it a day and ran home. When we returned to our camp, our comrades cheered at us; it was like a Roman triumph. Even Brigadegeneral Atalay came to congratulate us personally. When I got out to inspect the tank, I saw a few football-sized dents in our side armour where the Golems had hit us but they had been filled out by some hardened grey foam. We didn't really care how exactly that worked, but it sure got the job done. Needless to say, we spent the entire afternoon painting all sorts of kill-marks on our new tank. Not bad for a half day's work." Unit Description 'Tactics' The Manticore is the strongest tank of the ECA, if not of the whole game. On its own, it can easily take down a Sentinel whilst suffering minimal damage. This is not only due to the immense firepower, with its twin 155mm main guns, and rocket pods on either side, buts also it's ability to self-repair at a staggering rate thanks to the numerous nano-foam injecting orbs that float around it. However, the Manticore's high survivability is balanced by the fact that commanders can only field one unit at a time. If it is destroyed, then the player must wait 2 minutes before being able to construct another one. Therefore, it is crucial for commanders to keep the tank alive, for it isn't an expendable unit. The Manticore's main counters are helicopters and heavy artillery. Although its two 30mm AA guns provids some air defense, the tank can quickly be overwhelmed by several helicopters, and easily sniped by strike aircraft. Therefore, the Manticore should always be escorted by several AA units, preferably Wotans due to their ability to kill aircraft quicker. The orbs of the Manticore also have the ability to repair other friendly vehicles, so the commander doesn't need to worry about the Wotans being damaged. It is best to keep the Wotans far behind the Manticore since they are vulnerable to all types of ground vehicles. Heavy artillery can also pose a great threat to the Manticore. This is especially true of the Chinese Nuke cannon, and the GLA's Grad, which has long & medium range respectively and deals even more damage. They should be the Manticore's priority targets. Luckily for ECA commanders, the nuke cannon is slow-moving, needs to deploy/undeploy, has a long reload-time, and is pretty fragile. This gives the Manticore time to get out of range, so you can send harriers to destroy it. If the player can't use air units or artillery to attack the nuke cannon, they should simply use the Manticore, but the timing is crucial. However, they should also prioritize destroying the Grads when one is in range, as 2 to 3 units can either severely damage or completely destroy it. 'Counters' While it may seem like a super-powerful killer tank, the Manticore is in no way whatsoever indestructible. One superweapon strike is enough to destroy it, for example. If a player is foolish enough to attack with it all alone, it can easily be overwhelmed by units and destroyed. Artillery is also a very good way of destroying it, considering the fact that it doesn't have the longest line of sight nor range. Another very good way of dealing with the Manticore are airstrikes. For example, Frogfoot excel in dealing damage to the Manticore. Raptors and Nighthawks are also good at dealing damage to it. Heavy attack helicopters in groups of three or more will damage it a lot, if not completely destroy it. Of course, the best way of dealing with this vehicle is to deny the enemy the capabilities of producing it. Destroy the R&D Compound and they'll have to rebuild it in order to produce the Manticore. A continuous stream of bombings should level the place whenever they build it up again. For GLA Overcome with Rocket Buggies, because these vehicles are faster than the Manticore and other way is overcome with Terrorists, Combat Cycles and Tunnel Defenders (NOTE:Hijackers Can't take over the Manticore). Quotes When created * Right out of the assembly line! When selected * This is the Manticore. * It's got that new tank smell. * We are the Panzer Elite! * Welcome to the party, Commander! * Nano-machines are working fine, ...I think. * We've been waiting, Kommandant. * She's got a learning processing computer. ''(''Affirmative.) * One hundred tons of German engineering! * Manticore, ready for the carnage. * We are heavy mettle! * What's wrong? They got you pushing too many pencils? When moving * (Destination set.)'' Stop shouting, I'm not deaf!'' * (Engines in green.) Stop whining! * Clear the way. * Manticore responding. * Let's do it. * The only way is forward. * Come with me if you want to live. * This is the vehicle's top speed. * Changing to true speed. * I'll be back. * I see everything. * She's self automated. * Jawohl'', Manticore moving.'' * (horn sound) Out of the way! When attacking * NOW! * Meet your maker. * You're fired. * Do it now! * Unleashing all weapons. * Stop it! * Remember when I said I'd killed you last? ...I lied. * (Target acquired.)'' No, the other one!'' * Like the hammer of Thor. * (Commencing evasive maneuvers.) I'm a tank, you idiot! * Gunner, I want him gone. * Grind them into dust! * Manticore, leading the charge. * You are mine now, you belong to me! Trivia *The pilot/voice over set for the Manticore uses many references to the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger movies; having close announciation and accent. These references include lines such as "Come with me if you want to live" from Terminator, "I'm a tank you idiot!" being a mutation of "I'm a ''cop ''you idiot!" from Kindergarden Cop, to "What's wrong? CIA got you pushing too many pencils?" from Predator and many others. *The design of the Manticore derives from an original concept by the Rise of Europe team and was kept intact by SWR Productions as a tribute of it's great design. Gallery File:593_max.jpg|Original design for the Manticore. See also Category:Tanks Category:Prototypes Category:ECA vehicles‎